Number 18 it is better to seek forgiveness
by OMDP92
Summary: .....than ask permission. Tony actually listened to Gibbs for once. Too bad he broke several other rules in the process. TABBY.
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs paused in Abby's doorway and smiled as she bounced up and down in beat to the music, her pregnant stomach not prevailing her in the least. Pregnancy suited Abigail Sciuto. She span around and smiled when she saw him.

"Hey Gibbs!" she beamed. He returned the smile, but frowned when he saw what she had been looking at on her computer. Ziva, DiNozzo, McGee and herself were beaming at the camera. The photo was taken on Abby's birthday, a month before Vance had split the team up. She followed his gaze and her smile lost some of his brightness.

"You have to get them back, Gibbs, you have to!"

"I'm working on it, Abs," he said, and he kissed her forehead, before resting his hand on her seven month old bump, "How's the little one?"

Abby giggled, "She's fine. She likes to dance, just like her daddy."

Gibbs' expression turned sombre, "Abs, when _are_ you going to tell me who the father is?"

"When the time is right, Gibbs, when the time is right, I will tell you. He should be here when I do,"

Time passed, and Gibbs got McGee and then Ziva back onto the team, after Langer's death. Abby was still remaining tight-lipped about the paternity of her baby, and was now in the last month of her pregnancy. Gibbs was on tenterhooks, awaiting the call from Ziva that Abby was in labour. Abby had moved in with Ziva because Gibbs did not want Abby to be alone in the last stages of her pregnancy.

It was a Tuesday night, and Gibbs had crashed into bed after staying up late working on the boat. It was 2am and his phone rang.

"Gibbs," he said, sleepily.

"Gibbs!" It was Ziva, "Abby is in labour!"

Gibbs sat up in bed, all traces of drowsiness gone. He listened as Ziva rattled off the details. He slammed down the phone and quickly dressed. He made it to Bethesda in ten minutes, and was surprised to find Abby walking around her room.

"Abs?" he queried.

"Hey, Gibbs!" she cried, and hugged him, careful not to squash the baby.

"Abby, shouldn't you be in bed?"

She shook her head, "Uh-uh. I'm only dilated two centimetres. Walking increases the speed of –OWW!"

She squeezed his hand tightly as a contraction ripped through her body. It was over in seconds, and she gave him a bright smile.

"Abby, the father?"

"Is on his way, Gibbs. He'll get here in time."

Ten hours later, Abby was still only 5 centimetres, and the baby was in distress. She was informed she was going to have a c-section, and for the first time all morning she looked scared. Gibbs was at her side in seconds.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! He's not here yet. He has to be here, and everything will be alright!" He squeezed her hand as they prepped her for surgery. He felt hopeless as they wheeled her away.

"Everything will be fine, Abs!"

Twenty minutes after Abby had been taken away, a man raced through maternity and powered through the double doors of the OR. Gibbs didn't get a look at the man, he was running so fast, but he assumed it was the baby's father.

Two hours later, her doctor came out of the OR.

"Everything went fantastically. Both mother and baby are fine. She's asking for Gibbs?"

Gibbs stood and followed the doctor back into the OR. Abby was sat up in bed, her hair a sweaty mess, and her cheeks flushed. She sported the biggest grin he had ever seen, and a shiny new engagement ring to boot. She smiled in welcome.

"Where is she?" asked Gibbs

"Here," said a muffled voice, and Gibbs turned around. There was another doctor behind him, clad in scrubs, hat and a surgical mask. If Gibbs had looked into the man's eyes, he would have recognised him, but he was too entranced by the little pink bundle in his arms. The doctor wordlessly handed the baby to Gibbs. Gibbs smiled and felt tears prick at the back of his throat. She was beautiful.

"You did good, Abs," he murmured.

"She did more than good," added the doctor, and he bent and kissed Abby's forehead through his mask. Gibbs frowned. This couldn't be her doctor. The man straightened up and ripped his mask off. Gibbs stared.

DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo? What are you doing here?"

"Didn't think I'd miss the birth of my first child, did you there, Gibbs?"

His mouth fell open and he stared at Abby.

She smirked and added, "You wanted to meet my baby daddy!"

Gibbs swayed and Tony stepped forward, making sure he wasn't going to faint, before taking his daughter and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Gibbs was still trying to process the information, failed and then crashed to the ground. Abby and Tony looked at him.

"Perhaps lying wasn't the best idea," Abby mused.


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs jolted as someone hit him hard upside the head. He blinked and opened his eyes.

"I've always wanted to do that," Jenny said, and winked. (A/N: Jenny isn't dead, she sent the others away so she could find the mole)

He blinked again, deciding not to mention he had a view straight down her top. And a very nice view it was, too. She helped him stagger to his feet.

"What happened?" he asked, his head foggy.

"You blacked out, Jethro."

He scoffed. _Leroy Jethro Gibbs does NOT black out._

Jenny just raised her eyebrows, silently reminding him of the times she had made him black out, both in and out of the bedroom.

"Why?" he asked.

"DiNozzo," Jenny replied, smiling.

Gibbs' face suddenly went red with anger, the all-to-familiar vein pulsing in his temple.

"Jethro," Jenny warned.

He turned to her and the anger dissolved from his face.

"Come on," she said softly, and led him over to a doorway onto the opposite side of the corridor. He stared at what he saw inside.

Tony was sat in the hospital bed, Abby between his legs and their little girl in her arms. Tony was tenderly rubbing his daughter's cheek. Then he caught his fiancé by the chin and turned her head slowly. He captured her lips in a long, slow kiss.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips.

"I love you too," she said, and nibbled lightly on his lower lip before kissing him thoroughly.

Gibbs cleared his throat, and the couple broke apart, Abby blushing slightly. Jenny hurried over to the bed and beamed at the little girl.

"Boss? You want to hold her?" Tony asked. Gibbs nodded and stepped forward to receive the precious cargo from Abby.

"She got a name yet?" Jenny asked, entranced by the little girl.

"Yeah," Abby said, and then turned to Tony, indicated that as it had been his idea, he should tell them.

He cleared his throat, "Sophia Kelly Jennifer DiNozzo."

Gibbs felt a lump at the back of his throat and Jenny's eyes were shining with tears.

"Thank you," Gibbs muttered, gruffly, and pressed a kiss to the babies head.

"No problem, grandpa," Tony said, and winked. Gibbs glared at him before passing Sophia to Jenny. He felt a strange warmth envelope him as he saw Jenny nurture the little girl.

_Maybe.._

No, that was all in the past.

_Wasn't it?_


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs sighed as he worked on the boat. He thought he was _done_ with all this turmoil over Jenny. But seeing with her with Sophia and unearthed all the old feelings, and not a night didn't go by when he didn't think about her. It was like living in hell. Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't think he'd ever felt so strongly about a woman, _ever_. Apart from Shannon. He glanced up from the boat as someone made their way down the basement steps.

"Well, hey there, grandpa. I've got someone here to see you," Tony said, crossing the basement, his eyes on his tiny daughter's face. He stopped in front of his boss and then offered his precious cargo. Gibbs' face softened and he took Sophia into his arms.

"Well, hey there, little lady," he said, rocking her slightly.

"I was wondering, boss, could you watch her for an hour or so? Abs is having her check up at the hospital at the moment, and I've got a meeting with Jen to sort out my future with NCIS."

"Sure, DiNozzo."

"Her stuff's upstairs. Thanks a bunch, boss!"

Gibbs grunted as Tony ran out of the house, his eyes never leaving his 'grand-daughter'. God, she was so beautiful, the perfect combination of her parents. And that reminded him, he still hadn't had his 'if you hurt her, I'm gonna kill you' talk with DiNozzo, he thought, as he headed up the stairs. He walked into the lounge and sat on the sofa, arranging Sophia to lie on his chest.

-

And that is how Jenny found them an hour and a half later. The gruff, hard-ass marine, asleep on the sofa, his big hands protecting a snuffly, sleepy Sophia.

"Jethro," she sing-songed, and his eyes snapped open. He half-grinned when he saw her.

"Jen. What can we do for you?"

"Just let me have some time with my precious girl," she said, brushing the baby's tiny cheek.

"Sure, but DiNozzo will be here any moment."

"No, he won't."

"Jen?!"

"I gave him and Abby the night off to go celebrate his being reinstatement as an agent. It's the first night out they've had since this little miss arrived. If you don't want to take her for the night, I'm happy to, but I can stay here with you if you want?"

"Sounds good to me, Jen. And it'll be good to have DiNozzo back. Here, take her. I'll go order some food."

"Now, _that_ sounds good to me," she said, and sat next to him, manoeuvring the baby onto her own chest, who snuffled slightly at the interruption, but then settled down. Gibbs couldn't help but grin widely at the sight of Jen and Sophia, which he always did when he saw woman and baby together. When he returned from ordering the food, he leant against the doorway and just watched them. Sophia was whinging and Jenny rocked her slightly, quietening her. She felt eyes on her and glanced up to see him standing there. She smiled.

"What, Jethro?"

"Nuthin', Jen, jus' like watching you with her," he replied, and crossed the room to sit on the couch next to her. He stretched his arm along the back of the couch, and she leant back against him, cradling Sophia.

"Jethro?" she asked, softly.

"Yeah, Jen?"

"Do you, do you, ever think about what would have ever happened with us, if I, I, hadn't left you?"

"Only _every_ day, Jen."

"What?" she asked, stunned. Sophia whimpered in her arms and she quietened her before twisting in her seat to look at Gibbs.

"_Every_ day," he repeated.

Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

"What, Jen? Seeing you, with Sophia. It invoked all this _stuff_ inside me that I couldn't make go away that _still_ won't go away."

She was still staring, and he swore she was moving closer to him.

"I take it you do then, J-mpphh,"

The end of his sentence was swallowed by her lips.

_This was unexpected_.

He wasn't going to complain though, or remain passive in the kiss.

"Well, _hel-LO_," said a very familiar and unwanted voice from the doorway. Jenny pulled away from Gibbs to see the newcomers.

"Tony! Abby! What are you doing here? I thought you were going for dinner?"

"We did, but we missed our little girl too much. Seems like you two are the ones that need the empty house anyway," Tony said, and winked.

Abby stepped forward and took the baby girl from a blushing Jenny, whilst Gibbs growled at Tony.

"Please tell me you two are getting back together," Abby said.

Jenny turned to look at Gibbs, who said, "I hope so."

"Well, we'll be off then," Tony said, and grabbed Sophia's stuff. Abby smiled as she followed Tony out of the house. Jenny turned to face Gibbs on the couch.

"You hope so?"

"Oh yeah, Jen, I sure as hell hope so. These months and years apart have damn near torn me apart. I _need_ you."


End file.
